Karnataka Elections 2023: Who is ahead? 3 pre-poll surveys suggest victory for Congress

Karnataka Elections 2023: On May 10, all eyes will be on the Karnataka assembly elections. Thisday will decide the fate of the south Indian state for the next few years. The question is whether the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) will win again or the opposition party Indian National Congress (INC) will form its government after 1999.

Ahead of the election, three opinion polls or pre-election surveys have predicted a major win for Congress, while an opinion poll by Zee News-Matrize has projected a win for the BJP, stating that it would emerge as the single-largest party.

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As cited by Hindustan Times, the ABP-CVoter opinion poll predicted that the Congress is likely to form the government in Karnataka, while BJP could face a big loss, and Janata Dal might perform below par. The opinion poll stated that out of 224 assembly seats in Karnataka, the Congress might win some 107 to 119 seats, while BJP is likely to bag some 74 to 86 seats and JD(S) can secure between 23 and 35 seats.

The polls suggest that Congress could end up securing some 40 per cent vote share, BJP might be five per cent behind and is likely to secure 35 per cent and JD (S) may get 17 per cent of the votes.

Another opinion poll by India Today-CVoter also predicted that "BJP is likely to lose" in Karnataka's assembly election. The poll also suggested that the current governing party BJP will secure just 74-86 seats, 24 down from the 2018 election.

As per the opinion poll, opposition leader Siddaramaiah of the Congress party is the most favoured leader with 42 per cent, followed by Chief Minister Basaraj Bommai with a 31 per cent vote.

Similarly, apre-poll survey conducted by aKannada outlet Eedina claimed thatthe Congress appears to be headed for a clear and comfortable majority with 32-140 seats, while BJP is predicted to win 57-65 seats, with a vote share of 33 per cent.

However, apoll of Zee News-Matrize and Kannadanews channel Suvarna News 24x7claimsthat the ruling BJP will again emerge as the single-largest party, followed by Congress and then JD (S).

It is to be noted that Congress has not been able to win the state, once its stronghold, since 1999.

In the last election of 2018, CM Bommai polled 83,868 votes, defeating Congress' Sayed Azeempeer Khadri, who secured 74,603 votes. Bommai is seeking re-election to the state assembly for the fourth consecutive time.

BJP stands for promotion in all languages, says Shah

In an exclusive interview with The Hindu, Home Minister Amit Shah said that BJP stands for the promotion of all Indian languages and that the accusation that the party only promotes "Hindi" is politically motivated.

Shah when asked about Karnataka election results said that BJP would win an absolute majority. He said, "This is an important election for the BJP, and we will form the government with a full majority in Karnataka."

(with inputs from agencies)

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